Abstract
Genetically modified crops undergo extensive evaluation to characterize their food, feed and environmental safety prior to commercial introduction, using a well-established, science-based assessment framework. One component of the safety assessment includes an evaluation of each introduced trait, including its source organism, for potential adverse pathogenic, toxic and allergenic effects. Several Pseudomonas species have a history of safe use in agriculture and certain species represent a source of genes with insecticidal properties. The ipd072Aa gene from P. chlororaphis encodes the IPD072Aa protein, which confers protection against certain coleopteran pests when expressed in maize plants. P. chlororaphis is ubiquitous in the environment, lacks known toxic or allergenic properties, and has a history of safe use in agriculture and in food and feed crops. This information supports, in part, the safety assessment of potential traits, such as IPD072Aa, that are derived from this source organism.
Highlights
Modified (GM) crops were first commercialized in the mid-1990s and currently are planted on over 90% of corn, cotton and soybean acres in the United States (USDA-NASS 2017)
This paper provides an assessment of the safety of P. chlororaphis as a gene source for Genetically modified (GM) crops
Box 1 Weight of evidence supporting the safety of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as a source of insecticidal genes Presence in the environment—ubiquitous, both in soil and on plants (Schnepf et al 1998) History of safe use in the field of agriculture—Bt products were initially developed as microbial pesticide sprays and have been approved for use on multiple food and feed crops (US-EPA 1998) Phylogenetic relatedness to known human pathogens—Bt is not closely related to known human pathogens Known mammalian toxic, pathogenic or allergenic potential—Bt is not toxic to mammals and has no known pathogenic or allergenic potential (US-EPA 1998)
Summary
Modified (GM) crops were first commercialized in the mid-1990s and currently are planted on over 90% of corn, cotton and soybean acres in the United States (USDA-NASS 2017). Like Bt, certain species of Pseudomonas including P. chlororaphis are ubiquitous in the environment, have a history of safe use in agriculture as seed treatments, foliar-applied biopesticides and as a gene source for GM crops, and lack known pathogenic, toxic or allergenic properties. This information supports, in part, the safety assessment of potential traits, such as IPD072Aa, derived from this source organism. Box 1 Weight of evidence supporting the safety of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as a source of insecticidal genes Presence in the environment—ubiquitous, both in soil and on plants (Schnepf et al 1998) History of safe use in the field of agriculture—Bt products were initially developed as microbial pesticide sprays and have been approved for use on multiple food and feed crops (US-EPA 1998) Phylogenetic relatedness to known human pathogens—Bt is not closely related to known human pathogens Known mammalian toxic, pathogenic or allergenic potential—Bt is not toxic to mammals and has no known pathogenic or allergenic potential (US-EPA 1998)
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